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From our President

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

The inauguration of President Obama in late January, and his public emphasis on tackling climate change, brought new urgency to the scientific work at the Cary Institute. Several of our scientists are authors of chapters in the new National Climate Assessment, which will guide policy makers and elected officials to understand the magnitude and mitigation options for climate change impacts in the United States.

Meanwhile, during the first two weeks of January, we hosted 18 graduate students in our annual class, Fundamentals of Ecosystem Ecology. Coordinated by Clive Jones, this year’s offerings covered the essentials of energy flow and nutrient cycling in terrestrial and aquatic habitats, global biogeochemical cycles, and indications of stress in natural ecosystems. We had a special session to discuss the issues surrounding natural-gas extraction by hydraulic fracturing in New York and across the country. New low-priced sources of natural gas are certain to redraw the map of alternative energy to combat climate change.

The new year also brought recognition of past accomplishments to a number of the scientists on the staff at Cary Institute—especially to Gary Lovett, who was elected as a fellow of the American Association of the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and is the seventh Institute scientist to join those ranks.